Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-11-04

face presented itself to him iocular in
quiry left his lips.
"Well, Mrs Meredith, has that missing
lord and master of yours turned up yet y
A faltering negative would greet him.
Exactly as prophesied You might as
well make up your mind you'll never see
him again Some of those pretty Mexicans
down there have led him captive" At
which the lady he addressed moved by her
wifely fealty and love, would break'ou in
passionate protest, and lose her anxiety in
wrathful indignation, while the horseman,
as he turned toward the country, changed
his gay look of banter for an expression of
savage ferocity, and charged his steed up
on the prickly yuccas, and mildly anathe-
matiEed the recreant spouse.
At twilight an insignificant figure with
bowed shoulders and a shock of bushy hair,
going silently about his chores in the back
yard, stole furtive glances at the sad-eyed
young matron and returned TO his lonely
shanty to sit and brood over a weighty
project incubating in his troubled brain
1t was generally understood throughout the
community that some dark mystery attach
ed to old Dresden, the concealment of his
name of his native city being regarded as
most eliminating evidence. But the old
fellow kept on the even tenor of his way,
attending to his small stock of poultry and
selling his eggs and chickens at an advance
of 20 per cent on the market price, wholly
Indifferent to the praise or blame of the rest
of humanity.
Early in the third week after the young
prospector's promised return there began
to be little stir in downtown circles
News of a fresh Apache outbreak had been
received, which augured i'll for any unpro-
tected prospectors in their vicinity. From
laughing indifference the business men be-
gan to discuss the chances of Merediths
safety.
"He was gallant fellow, " remarked one.
1t was noticeable that he employed the past
tense.
1T seems pity to be inactive" observ
ed another. IF any of the men want to
go out and look for him, I'll be one of them. -
But it was generally conceded that the
time for help was past.
David Rowell, who was a silent auditor
OH these occasions, persevered in his daily
rides and never hinched in his established
program; but the face he turned to the
! plains after these recontres had lost its saw
| age expression and was fixed and stern in
its pity for the young wife, over whose
head was suspended Damoclean sword, Ii
able at any moment to fall.
One evening, at sundown, the doctor was
summoned in hot haste to the Meredith
household. At midnight David Rowell, re
treating with cautious footsteps from the
door, whittier he had gone to hold whis
pered colloquy, was startled by seeing one
of the row of twisted cacti in the ward ap-
parently moving toward him. Drawing
nearer, he recognized the stunted form of
the German.
"Will she be bedder =
'No change, Dresden" 1t would have
been rank injustice to hold the clear night
air accountable for the huskiness in his
throat. 'Only one thing can save her
God pity him if he's dead and curse him if
he's alive, he piously added.
simultaneously with the intelligence of
Mrs Meredith's serious illness it was bruit-
ed about that old Dresden had disposed of
his chicken ranch and, buying a scraggy
burro, set off with pack Of notions to Wis
it some of the Mexican villages lying con
tiguous to the border. His departure
aroused little comment, although some of
the more enterprising of the masculine gos
sips limited at dark and mysterious reasons
which ruled his movements.
A few days later curious meeting occur
red in the pass of the Sierra Madre. A
stubby little man, hobbling along beside a
diminutive burro, with a towering pack, at
a point where the narrow road wound about
the side of a precipitous gorge, heard the
well-known whistle in the distance, the us
ual signal warning travellers of approach
from an opposite direction. From note
of warning the whistle gilded gayly into
the strains of popular operate air. The
small man with the burro gave a sharp
shout and pushed on to find John Meredith
awaiting his approach at a place where a
crescent had been followed into the rocky
wall.
"Vell, Mr.. Meredit I"
The little man sat down on a rock and
eyed the careless young horseman with the
eye of Nemesis.
"Helloa, Dresden. What are you up to
now Going to turn the heads of those
Mexican women with lot of fnery, eh y
Dresden stihed a savage imprecation. By
a great effort he composed himself.
II vas thinking you been hating fiery
fine time in the moundains, Mr.. Meredit =
"Oh, $3.50. A bit too much rain and
snow But | have some fine specimens
here. People will open their eyes when
they see them. Copper and native silver
till you can't rest-but of course you don't
know anything about such thingsn-he
broke off with compassionate laugh.
"You vas not afraid the little frau would
drubble herself and, indeet, dat is ferry
goot, as a woman should not make herself
drubble ven der is noting wort.
The mans voice was dry and measured,
but the swelling veins on his forehead be-
trayed a severe inward strain. The young
man observed nothing of this.
mot bit, Dresden. To tell the truth, y
he said, in Il burst of confidence and with a
mild air of triumph at the recollection of
his brilliant artifce, II fatter myself
managed that pretty well. l told her to
look for me in three weeks. l know q
woman They are all right so long as they
have something to take up their minds
knew looking for me would sort of break
up the time and give her something to think
Of"
"And what tink you dat occupation will
be already, Mr.. Meredit And indeet it is
fiery nice for a woman to pc thinking how te
tam Apachese haf maybe got her mans
scalp, or he is fiery likely fall in under some
big rock, or blowed in pieces by a plast
The speaker had risen to his feet and his
bowed form Strengthened as he confronted
Meredith in his wrath. "Mr. Meredit
when your wife Ifs and your child is Of
right mint, you need not tank yourself"
The man he addressed stared straight be
fore him, as if he saw phantom. His ca
sy confidence deserted him and he trembled
from head to foot. The possible results Of
his adroit strategy marched in spectral pro
cession before him.
Good Lord, Dresden ~ he faltered. If
anything has happened to her, had better
go over this precipice now"
II know not de loss yood be fiery great,
answered the other, coolly. He could moi
not forgive the fellow in a moment. "On
ly dat she is a fool-all vimmen are fools,
he remarked sententiously, "and if sh,
Ifs"
Striking his spurs deep into the flanks o.
his horse, Meredith dashed around the bend
in the road, and in a few seconds the clat
ter of hoofs had died away in the distance
Old Dresden, with a queer smile on hi.
plain face, touched up his lazy animal anC
continued his journey southwark.
At daybreak the next morning David
Rowell prowling about like a wrath in the
dim light heard a horse coming up the
southern road, Meredith checked his gait
as he saw the tall figure approaching.
} Don't say it, Rowell," he protested
There is just one thing left to do" H,
drew "a revolver from its case in his belt
and deliberately cooked it. David Rowel
knocked it from his hand, and it exploded
harmlessly in a clump of sagebrush a coup
lie of rods away. AS he viewed the pal
face and staring eyes, and the gaunt figure
stiff and erect in the saddle, the words o
reproach, if he had any ready, died upol
his lips